


A Romance in Four Hands

by Yrindor



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Hands, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:45:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8278225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yrindor/pseuds/Yrindor
Summary: Oishi would recognize the sight of Eiji's hands anywhere.  Eiji would recognize the feel of Oishi's hands anywhere.  It takes longer before they recognize the feelings they have for each other.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nobetterpicture](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobetterpicture/gifts).



Eiji's hands are hesitant the first time he picks up Oishi's racket during practice. That doesn't stop Oishi from noticing every detail of them—the dirt trapped under the fingernails, the scrape on the back of a knuckle, the way they tremble slightly as they offer him the racket he dropped. The way they pull away almost too quickly when his fingers brush against them as he takes hold of the handle.

When winter comes, Oishi notices when Eiji comes to practice with hands that are red and chapped from the cold. He offers Eiji lotion for his bag and reminds him to wear his gloves, but it doesn't help; Eiji always forgets them as he bounces from one place to another.

The final straw comes when Oishi watches Eiji absentmindedly wipe blood from a split knuckle during practice and wince every time sweat stings his cracked skin. After practice, he pulls Eiji aside and works lotion into his hands himself, feeling every dry spot and callus and memorizing them as if they were his own. He pretends not to notice the way Eiji's hands are sweating under his.

By New Year's, he's started keeping a spare pair of mittens in his bag as well.

Come spring, it's Eiji who finds him after a game when his hands are cramped and stiff from returning drive after drive. He doesn't even say anything, just sits down next to Oishi in the locker room and holds out his hands for inspection, his fingers seized up around the handle of an imaginary racket. Oishi takes them gently in his own and methodically works his way along every muscle and tendon until Eiji can move freely again. He lingers perhaps a little too long when he finishes, but Eiji's not pulling away. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but he swears he feels Eiji squeezing his hand too.

It's not until late summer that Oishi is finally able to do what he's dreamed of doing for nearly a year. Eiji's been working on his acrobatics again, and after practice, Oishi presses his lips to every scratch and bruise on Eiji's hands. And then, because he can, he leaves one last kiss on Eiji's fingertips. Eiji smiles at him, then curls his hand into a fist and presses it close to his own heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No matter the season or the weather, Oishi's hands are always warm—warm as they close over his hands on a tennis racket before the game, warm as they touch his shoulder in support when misses a return, warm when they grab his in celebration after they win.

Oishi's hands are strong too. He hadn't noticed it when Oishi had limited himself to a few brief touches here and there, but now that it's Oishi's fingers digging under his shoulderblade to get at the muscle he strained in their last game, he wonders at his partner's hidden strength. It hurts when Oishi's thumb presses into a sore spot, but it's alternating with gentle fingers running through his hair and down the back of his neck, and that makes it okay.

Oishi's hand are warm, and they're strong, but the one thing Eiji notices most about them is how steady they are. It doesn't matter whether it's before an important match or after a practice where they've been pushed harder than they thought possible, Oishi's hands never shake with nerves or exhaustion the way his own do. And when Oishi takes his shaking hands and folds them up in his own, the steadiness spreads and chases away the worst of his anxiety and fatigue.

He knows he'll never forget the moment that changes. When he kisses Oishi for the first time, it's Oishi who's speechless when they pull apart, and it's Oishi who reaches up with trembling hands to pull him in again. It's Oishi who stays there afterward as if he's afraid it won't last if he lets go.

For once, it's Eiji who has the steadier hands, though not by much, and it's Eiji who rubs Oishi's back and whispers "I love you," until Oishi believes it enough to let go.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and feedback are welcome and appreciated.


End file.
